Membership at Flack

At Flack, membership is far more than a formality or a way to keep records. When we welcome someone into membership, we are affirming together as a church that we have not only heard their profession of faith in Christ but also witnessed evidence of His saving work in their life. Before we can receive you into membership, we must be confident that your profession of faith is genuine and that you have been baptized.

What does it mean for my profession of faith to be “credible”?

A credible profession of faith rests on two foundations:

  1. Biblical truth
    Your faith must be rooted in the truth of Scripture. Many people claim to believe in Jesus, but their understanding of who He is or what saving faith means does not align with God’s Word. We must be assured that your understanding of Christ and salvation is biblical.

  2. Repentance and obedience
    A credible profession of faith is marked by repentance—turning from sin and seeking to live in obedience to Christ’s commands. While no one follows Christ perfectly, Scripture warns that someone who claims to know Him yet refuses to obey is not truly His (1 John 2:3-4).

For this reason, we take time to get to know you personally. There is no set timeline for membership; instead, we prayerfully and carefully consider each individual.

What kind of baptism is required?

We believe the Bible teaches baptism is by immersion in water after genuine conversion to Christ. There are times when immersion is not possible, so our Pastors and Elders are trusted to work with candidates for baptism in this regard.

We also recognize that some groups practice immersion but deny essential truths of Christianity. For this reason, we require baptism in a true Christian church, following authentic faith in Christ, before welcoming someone into membership.

What else is involved in becoming a member?

We conduct membership classes as needed. During this class, we will ask you to read and reflect on our foundational documents and the Senior Pastor will walk with you to understand the duties of Church Membership:

We do not expect you to agree with every doctrinal detail, but we do ask that you pursue unity, humility, and a teachable spirit as we grow together in understanding God’s Word.

Finally, we ask you to read Duties of Christian Fellowship by John Owen (available digitally through us by request or in print at various publishers). This short book is a helpful tool for examining what Scripture expects of all believers in relationship to their church elders and each other.

The Membership Process

  1. Read the documents listed above and prayerfully consider our positions and practices.
  2. Attend regularly so we can get to know one another personally.
  3. Let us know your desire to join our fellowship. This can be done by marking a box on an info card available at the church or simply telling our church secretary or one of the elders.
  4. Meet with an elder. An elder will schedule at least one meeting with you. This is an opportunity for mutual questions and discussion. It is as important for you to get to know us as it is for us to get to know you.
  5. Attend Membership Class. This class helps you to become familiar with our church doctrine and to get to know the Pastor and for the Pastor to get to know you.

Once you have completed the membership class and affirmed your desire to join our church, you will be presented to the congregation. At that time, you will make a verbal confession of faith and, if you wish, share your testimony.